The Walton Arts Center has announced a must-see lineup for their 34th Broadway season, including six shows direct from Broadway making a stop on their national tours! Five of those shows will be making their Arkansas debuts in Fayetteville, AR, shining a spotlight on the healthy and lively theater and arts scene in Northwest Arkansas.

Every Broadway season at the Walton Arts Center is a thrill, but this year's spread is particularly exciting! The titles range from Broadway classics to celebrations of pop sensations, with modernized favorites and magical moments for the whole family.

The Broadway Series is a pillar of the Walton Arts Center’s annual programming and has been drawing larger and larger crowds to Dickson Street and downtown Fayetteville, AR each year. This year, we have 5 Broadway Bonus shows, totaling 11 Broadway shows for the season. There will be everything from the best new shows on their first national tours to a global blockbuster that is returning after 10 years. For good reason, experiencing a Broadway Series show at the Walton Arts Center in downtown Fayetteville is one of the most popular things to do in Northwest Arkansas!

The Broadway Series and Broadway Bonus 2025/26 season will begin in October with performances running through July 2026. Announced titles include:

Created in collaboration with Neil Diamond himself, A Beautiful Noise is the uplifting true story of how a kid from Brooklyn became a chart-busting, show-stopping American rock icon. With 120 million albums sold, a catalogue of classics like "America," "Forever in Blue Jeans" and "Sweet Caroline," an induction into the Songwriters and Rock and Roll Halls of Fame, a Grammy® Lifetime Achievement Award and sold-out concerts around the world, Neil Diamond's story was made to shine on Broadway and head out on the road across the U.S.

Like Jersey Boys and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical before it, A Beautiful Noise is an inspiring, exhilarating, energy-filled musical memoir, that tells the untold true story of how America's greatest hitmaker became a star, set to the songs that defined his career.

Recommended for ages 8 and up.

A new musical about growing up and growing old (in no particular order), Kimberly Akimbo is the winner of five Tony Awards® including best musical. It features a Tony Award-winning book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire (Shrek), a Tony Award-winning score by Jeanine Tesori (Fun Home), choreography by Danny Mefford (Dear Evan Hansen) and direction by Tony-nominated director Jessica Stone (Water for Elephants).

Kimberly is about to turn 16 and recently moved with her family to a new town in suburban New Jersey. In this “howlingly funny heartbreaker of a show” (The New Yorker), Kim is forced to navigate family dysfunction, a rare genetic condition, her first crush … and possible felony charges. Ever the optimist, she is determined to find happiness against all odds and embark on a great adventure.

Recommended for ages 13 and up.

The critically acclaimed bestselling novel comes to “thrilling, dazzling” life (Time Out New York) in a unique, spectacle-filled new musical! Hailed as a Critic’s Pick, The New York Times calls it “stunning, emotional, heart-filled and gorgeously imaginative.”

After losing what matters most, a young man jumps a moving train unsure of where the road will take him and finds a new home with the remarkable crew of a traveling circus, and a life – and love – beyond his wildest dreams. Seen through the eyes of his older self, his adventure becomes a poignant reminder that if you choose the ride, life can begin again at any age. Tony Award®-nominated director Jessica Stone’s “huge, heart-filling” production (The New York Times) features a book by three-time Tony nominee Rick Elice adapted from Sara Gruen’s novel and a soaring score by the acclaimed PigPen Theatre Co.

Recommended for ages 8 and up.

Winner of four Tony Awards®, including best choreography and best costumes, and the Grammy Award® for best musical theater album, Some Like it Hot is “A super-sized, all-out song-and-dance spectacular!” (The New York Times). Set in Chicago when Prohibition has everyone thirsty for a little excitement, Some Like it Hot is the “glorious, big, high-kicking” (Associated Press) story of two musicians forced to flee the Windy City after witnessing a mob hit. With gangsters hot on their heels, they catch a cross-country train for the life-chasing, life-changing trip of a lifetime.

Recommended for ages 12 and up.

A mother. A daughter. Three possible dads. And a trip down the aisle you’ll never forget!

Set on a Greek island paradise where the sun always shines, a tale of love, friendship and identity is beautifully told through the timeless hits of ABBA. On the eve of her wedding, a daughter’s quest to discover the father she’s never known brings three men from her mother’s past back to the island they last visited decades ago. For more than 25 years, people all around the world have fallen in love with the characters, the story and the music that make Mamma Mia! the ultimate feel-good show.

Recommended for ages 10 and up.

Created by the Emmy®-winning writer from “Schitt’s Creek,” this hilarious new musical flips the script on the greatest love story ever told. & Juliet asks: what would happen next if Juliet didn’t end it all over Romeo? Get whisked away on a fabulous journey as she ditches her famous ending for a fresh beginning and a second chance at life and love – her way.

Juliet’s new story bursts to life through a playlist of pop anthems as iconic as her name, including "Since U Been Gone‚" "Roar," "Baby One More Time," "Larger Than Life‚" "That’s The Way It Is“ and "Can't Stop the Feeling!" – all from the genius songwriter and producer behind more No. 1 hits than any other artist this century. Break free of the balcony scene and get into this romantic comedy that proves there’s life after Romeo. The only thing tragic would be missing it.

Recommended for ages 8 and up.

Broadway Bonus Shows

Murder and blackmail are on the menu when six mysterious guests assemble at Boddy Manor for a night they’ll never forget! Based on the fan-favorite 1985 Paramount Pictures movie and inspired by the classic Hasbro board game, Clue is the ultimate whodunit that will leave you dying of laughter and keep you guessing until the final twist.

Everyone’s favorite Scottish nanny is headed to Fayetteville in this internationally acclaimed hit musical critics call “wonderful, heart-warming, and laugh-out-loud funny” (Manchester Evening News) and “a feel-good, family-friendly comedy that delivers” (The Hollywood Reporter). Based on the beloved film and directed by four-time Tony Award® winner Jerry Zaks, Mrs. Doubtfire tells the hysterical and heartfelt story of an out-of-work actor who will do anything for his kids. It’s “the lovable, big-hearted musical comedy we need right now,” raves the Chicago Tribune – one that proves we’re better together.

Recommended for ages 6 and up.

Meredith Willson's six-time, Tony Award-winning musical comedy The Music Man follows traveling salesman Harold Hill as he cons the people of River City into buying instruments and uniforms for a boys' band that he vows to organize – this, despite the fact that he doesn't know a trombone from a treble clef. His plans to skip town with the cash are foiled when he falls for Marian, the librarian, who transforms him into a respectable citizen by curtain's fall. Featuring songs such as "Seventy-Six Trombones," "Trouble," "'Til There Was You," "Pickalittle" and "Gary, Indiana," The Music Man is a family-friendly story to be shared with every generation.

Recommended for ages 8 and up.

Be Our Guest at Disney’s 30th Anniversary production of Beauty and the Beast, the breathtaking musical filled with the romance and grandeur audiences know and love.

This enchanting and timeless tale has been brought to life like never before, with spectacular new sets and dazzling costumes. The show boasts the Oscar®-winning and Tony Award®-nominated score, including the classic songs “Be Our Guest” and “Beauty and the Beast.”

Reuniting to create this new production are members of the original Tony Award®-winning artistic team, including composer Alan Menken, lyricist Tim Rice, book writer Linda Woolverton, with direction and choreography by Matt West, scenic design by Stanley A. Meyer, costume design by Ann Hould-Ward and lighting design by Natasha Katz.

Beauty and the Beast is the beloved musical that will fill your heart with joy and Disney magic.

Pop the champagne, Moulin Rouge! The Musical is the winner of 10 Tony Awards® — including Best Musical!

Enter a world of splendor and romance, of eye-popping excess, of glitz, grandeur, and glory! A world where bohemians and aristocrats rub elbows and revel in electrifying enchantment. Welcome to Moulin Rouge! The Musical! Baz Luhrmann’s revolutionary film comes to life onstage, remixed in a new musical mash-up extravaganza. Directed by Tony Award® winner Alex Timbers, Moulin Rouge! The Musical is a theatrical celebration of Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and — above all — Love. With a book by Tony Award® winner John Logan; music supervision, orchestrations, and arrangements by Tony Award® winner Justin Levine; and choreography by Tony Award® winner Sonya Tayeh, Moulin Rouge! is more than a musical — it is a state of mind.

For more information about the 2025/26 Broadway Series, please visit the Walton Arts Center website.